Abstract

Life's hard when you're the last hope for humanity. Andrew “Ender” Wiggin is beaten up, socially isolated, lied to, spied on, manipulated, and almost murdered. Colonel Hyrum Graff, principal of the Battle School, takes care to “surround him with enemies all the time,” commanding that “his isolation can't be broken. Ender does nothing to bring this hellish existence on himself. Ender's Game raises difficult moral questions. The naïve response would be to answer both questions, “Never,” unless people are incompetent to decide for themselves. People are tools in that they have no value over and above their ability to bring about the desired consequences. Ender's Game is a tragedy in which dedicated individuals like Colonel Graff and Ender Wiggin give their all to do their duty.